February 2018 – Page 2 – Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter.

The whistle and the recall

February 18, 2018Leave a Comment

The whistle works. But almost too well…

Yesterday morning we got my human up just before 6. Seriously – she went to bed at around 10:30, so how much sleep does a human need?! She took the FG out for a quick pee and poop and promised him he would go out again. She then took me and Einstein out for our walk. It was still dark but beginning to get light. My human was wearing her trusty headlamp and making lots of noise to scare off any wild creatures. We walked up the road and we stopped at the start of the public trail. My human hesitated because it was still kind of dark, but we didn’t care, and my human knew we would be miserable if we didn’t go for a longer walk. So off we went. We got home around 6:45 and had breakfast. She then told the FG it was “his turn.” He got all excited when she opened the door to the garage and he raced to the car. She loaded him in, came back and gave Einstein and me a treat and off they went.

They drove a couple of km down the road to the fenced baseball field. Not much chance that anyone would be there as the sun had just come up fully, it was Saturday AND it was pretty chilly. But it was perfect for the FG. The ground was frozen but there wasn’t any ice.

Like last time, he got in the fenced area and flew around like he had been shot out of a cannon. But he’s funny – he runs like mad and then goes plop and hits the deck. Then he looks around and bam, he’s off again. He and my human played fetch. And his return rate was about 75%. If you count returns that are within a 15 foot radius of my human. So all was glorious with the world. And do you want to know the BEST part? The FG was 100% reliable in coming to my human when she blew the whistle. And she tried it four different times! The only problem? She fears for her life when he comes running. I mean he is like a FREIGHT train racing to her. She holds the fetch toy away from her body for fear he will plow right into her. As he gets closer she braces herself for the impact and closes her eyes…. So the amazing racing recall IS improving, but they still have some control issues to work out. But she’ll take those problems ANY day. The fact that he is coming when called is HUGE. She still does not trust him to recall in wide open spaces that are not fenced – but he did excellent from far distances in the baseball field.

I think we should ALL go to the field together today. But my human thinks that Einstein would try to get out the gate. It closes well, but there IS a bit of a gap – and he would notice that right away. I’m not kidding. He doesn’t like being enclosed. So we may be just doing our trail walking again today. Unless I could go with the FG…..nah.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 37

Random Acts…

February 17, 2018Leave a Comment

You know, sometimes it is hard not to be drawn down by the negative things that go on in the world. Someone can take a weapon and senselessly kill other humans. And then humans argue that it is their right to own a weapon for which the sole purpose is to kill lots of people. It’s not a weapon for hunting. It’s a weapon for killing people. Lots of people. Why does someone feel they need to have such a weapon? I don’t get it. The founding fathers of the constitution didn’t own AR-15s…

And then I look for stories in dog news and I find examples of terrible animal abuse. Stories so awful I can’t even repeat them.

I find stories of humans who pretend an animal is a “support animal” when it really is not. So it ruins the credibility of people who really DO need support animals.

I find stories about animals who are becoming critcally endangered, because humans deforest their homes. Or pollute their habitats. Or don’t use good breeding practices.

Yup. Humans can sometimes make a real mess of the world. And it can get down right depressing.

But then, you find a story that restores your faith in humans. Like all of those humans who came together to search for a lost dog that they didn’t even know. And those humans who TRULY breathed a sigh of relief when she was found – even though some live in another country or on another continent – and no where near that lost dog. So yes…humans can be good…and underneath it all…I think most of them are….

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day. A day to do something for someone that is just a nice thing to do. It doesn’t need to cost money – it can be as simple as smiling and saying hello, or making a call to someone you haven’t talked to in a long time. You could clean out that closet and donate some of those clothes you don’t wear any more. (HINT-HINT for my human). You can leave an anonymous note for someone and tell them they are great. You can plant a tree (which would be peed on in this household – but it’s the act that counts). You can give your dog an extra treat for no reason. I like that one. A LOT. You can help someone carry groceries. In this house, we dogs would be happy to help UNPACK the groceries. You can donate to a charity. You can make a better effort to recycle. Did I mention you can give your dog a treat for no reason?

We shouldn’t need a DAY to remind people to be nice. But in this day and age, it’s sometimes a good thing to do. When we get pulled down by the negatives in the world, we need to focus on the positives and realize that one little act can make a big difference in someone else’s day. And if we ALL did it…just imagine….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 36

Chinese New Year and GREAT news!!

February 16, 20181 Comment

News flash – Willow has been found! And she is safe and sound at home. My human got a late night text from her owner – we don’t know the details yet – she said she would let us know more today. Thanks for all the positive vibes and all who went out looking for her. There was an army searching – and we are SO happy for this result!!

In other news….accoridng to the Chinese calendar, today marks the beginning of the New Year. The Chinese zodiac moves in a 12 year cycle, and based on the year in which you were born, you are under one of 12 animals. In 2018, it is the Year of the Dog! Other years of the dog included 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, and 2006. People born under this sign are said to be conservative, they abide by rules and are full of justice. They say they are loyal – just like us dogs. If you want to find out which sign you are under, you can look here.
https://chinesenewyear2018.com/zodiac/

I’m not a big astrology follower – but if my horoscope says something good is about to happen, I believe in it. If it is bad news, I think the whole thing is a bunch of whooey. When I looked at the dates, though, and the corresponding animals, maybe there IS something to this. For example, I was born under the sign of the RABBIT! No WONDER I like to chase bunnies. Einstein was born under the sign of the Tiger. And let’s face it – he is the MOST ferocious in this house and King of THIS jungle. And the FG? Born under the sign of the MONKEY? HOW appropriate is THAT? He IS a monkey!

My human says that in THIS house, every year is the Year of the Dog. She wants to know when we celebrate “Year of the Human Owned by Dogs.” Never. Dogs rule. When is she finally going to understand that?

It’s Friday. We’re glad for that. And again SO happy that Willow has been found!

Oh. And one more thing. My human bought a lottery ticket for tonight – which she RARELY does. So if…or I should say WHEN you don’t see a blog posting tomorrow, it’s because she won the $55 million. But don’t worry – I will be posting again – we’ll just need to have a few days to get settled in our new home in Hawaii.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 35

Still lost…

February 15, 2018Leave a Comment

Well I don’t yet have good news to share about Willow, the missing Picard. There have been sightings around the area of the city close to the park and also within the park. But she hasn’t been found yet. What is challenging is that she just adopted her new owner 2 weeks ago – so has just been getting used to her new home. She moved here from the US. Also, someone DID actually catch her at one point but the not-so-bright human removed her collar in order to read the info on her tag. And you guessed it, she took off again.

Yesterday my human took a day off work, loaded the FG in the vehicle and went hunting. She figured that MAYBE if they spotted Willow, she might come to Elroy because he is her breed. And my human knows that some breeds DO seem to recognize their own – so she figured why not? The area Willow was lost is close to two universities and one sighting was in the heart of one of the universities. So that’s where my human and her sidekick started out. Of course, the FG was initially crazy about being in the city – although the area they were searching is a residential neighbourhood. But so many sights and smells. In the first 10 minutes, my human wondered if this was such a good idea after all. But she continued on, he had a poop, and all was suddenly right with the world. He now was able to WALK rather than drag her down the street. The first university student they encountered asked if she could pet him. Mr. Social showered her in kisses. She loved him. The only problem after that encounter was the fact that now the FG thought EVERYONE would want to say hello. Resulting in some zig zag behaviour by my human to avoid those people who were not looking for kisses (despite the fact that it WAS Valentines Day.)

At one point, a car pulled up and an older woman enquired whether they were searching for the lost dog. Turns out she was looking too. My human explained that the FG was the same breed – and the woman thought that was helpful, because now she would know exactly what she was looking for. After about 90 minutes, they had covered quite a bit of territory, but no sightings. So they went back to the car and drove to the park. There were lots of people walking dogs, but no Willow. They walked there for about an hour. Back to the car they went, and did another drive around the area. They were going to head home when they got a text from Willow’s owner saying she had been spotted at the park. So they sped back and met Willow’s human in the parking lot. Then they all went back into the park again. But no luck…

When my human got home, she decided to see if she could find any info about lost dog behaviour. Bottom line – it’s hard to predict much. An outgoing dog is likely to be found more quickly as it will seek out humans and other dogs. A more aloof dog, which actually sounds a bit like Willow, may take longer to find because they know how to hide. BUT they are smart, and will avoid high traffic areas. You have to be careful though, because you don’t want the dog to panic and run. My human found the following page with excellent information about lost dogs – and the video is exceptional about how to get a nervous dog to come to you.

https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-dog-behavior/

The FG was exhausted when he got home. Einstein and I have never seen him so pooped out. It was lovely – he didn’t bug me all day.

Anyway, send good thoughts that Willow will soon be found. Heck, one of my sisters took off chasing deer one time and was gone for at least a week. She returned home stinky and matted, but otherwise fine. Hopefully Willow’s walkabout will come to a close sooner than that.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up.

Seizure-free days: 34

Dog shows, missing dogs and Valentines

February 14, 2018Leave a Comment

Lots of news today…

First off, Westminster has come to a close. We watched the group judging for the final three groups, and here were the results:

Sporting:
1. Sussex spaniel
2. Cocker Spaniel (ASCOB)
3. Clumber Spaniel
4. Wire Haired Pointing Griffon

Working:
1. Giant schnauzer
2. Akita

3. Kuvasz
4. Siberian Husky

Terriers:
1. Norfolk
2. American staffordshire
3. Lakeland
4. West Highland White

And then we watched the grand fianle…..Best in Show. And the big winner was…the Bichon Frise! Runner up was the Giant Schnauzer.

So now everybody packs up their crates, their grooming tables, their combs, brushes, dryers, towels, aprons, water bowls, treats, folding chairs and poop bags and heads home. With THEIR winning dog – because let’s face it, EVERY dog is a winner JUST for getting to compete at the Garden. Kind of like the Olympics – an honor not afforded to everyone!

In other news – some rather unfortunate news here in Halifax. Someone has lost a 3 year old Picard girl in a big park in the heart of the city. My human saw the notice on Facebook on a site called the Lost Dog Network. It caught my human’s eye because there are very few Picards in the province – but she didn’t know this girl. Willow was lost on Monday – but my human didn’t see the posting until yesterday. She contacted Willow’s human to see if she was still missing, and unfortunately she was. My human offered to do a drive around the area where she went missing, after work yesterday. She got in her car and headed for the area around the park. She came to a stop sign and out of the corner of her eye, saw a tail behind a tree. But don’t get excited. My human immediately stopped the car, went to the back of the car to get a leash and slowly approached the tree. And from around the tree came a tan colored multi-breed dog – who just stared at her. “Great” my human thought – “I found the wrong lost dog”. But he seemed to be a dog with a mission and headed down the street. My human asked Willow’s human if they needed posters to be put up or distributed, but apparently they have already done so. And the original posting has been shared over 900 times. So HOPEFULLY, Willow will soon be found safe and sound…I’ll keep you posted.

And lastly, today is Valentine’s Day. And of course, time for our annual poem to my human…

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

You feed us and groom us

And pick up our poo.

You walk us and train us

And buy us new toys,

You spend loads on dog stuff

We’re three lucky boys.

We try to be good

Though we’re often quite bad,

But when you leave us we miss you,

And feel very sad.

While we don’t always listen

And appear not to care,

Wherever you are, if given a choice,

We would rather be there.

Oh human, our human,

We do love you so,

We’re so glad we picked you,

We want you to know!

Hugs and licks from your Valentines!

Frodo, Viktor and Elroy

We hope you like the flowers we sent. We used your VISA card….

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure- free days: 33

Westminster. Day 1 results…

February 13, 2018Leave a Comment

Day One of the Westminster conformation show is over. And how does a human manage to watch breed judging in the afternoon with three dogs who would rather be doing something else? She gives them bones. But obviously not for very long. After the stomach issues the last time we had bones, we’ll see if she is as lucky as the winning dogs at Westminster today, while she is at work.

My human actually had a hard time watching the breed judging live because for some reason, the networks in the US think that people in Canada would not want to watch. Um, hello – there are over 100 dogs from Canada competing this year AND it just so happens that the Best in Show judge is a Canadian. And there are 6 other judges this year from Canada as well. So there.

In order for my human to watch the Group judging last night, she had to buy an extra TV channel. She never watches much TV, but when it comes to Westminster – well it’s a tradition.

We all got to sit on the bed and watch the group judging. I thought we should snack on some bones while watching, but my human said no. For a while I thought we were going to be banned from watching the show because we couldn’t settle down. But we eventually did. While she wanted to see all the groups last night, she REALLY wanted to watch the Herding group. For obvious reasons. And of course, that was the last group to be judged. We had to keep nudging her to keep her awake. She fell asleep part way through the Toys and woke up when the Non- sporting was ending. And then it was Herding. We got to watch a handsome boy PON and a pretty girl Picard strut their stuff. Thank goodness they were not preempted by a commercial. They looked awesome but unfortunately didn’t take home the big ribbons. Robbed again. Here are all the winners from last night:

Hounds:

1. Borzoi (Lucy won this spot last year too!)

2. Bloodhound

3. Beagle

4. Whippet

Toy:

1. Pug

2. Pekingese

3. Affenpinscher

4. Toy English Spaniel

Non-sporting

1. Bichon

2. Standard Poodle

3. Boston terrier

4. Keeshond

Herding:

1. Border Collie

2. Cardigan Welsh Corgi

3. Old English Sheepdog

4. Shetland Sheepdog

You’ll note that our experts were pretty good with their predictions!

Tonight the last three groups are judged, and Best in Show is awarded. And SOMEONE will get to take home the giant trophy…Given that the Borzoi came close last year…right now, she is my favorite. We’ll see….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!
Seizure-free days: 32

Westminster

February 12, 2018Leave a Comment

Well today is the day that Westminster begins the beauty pageant. It’s the big dog show that began in1877 in New York City. A total of 2, 882 dogs will compete in conformation for the coveted prize of Best in Show. While Westminster is not the biggest show in the US, it is probably the most well known. So do you think there are more PONs or more Picards entered this year? The FG is gloating again – there are 19 Picards and 13 PONs in the running this year. And what breed do you think has more entries….the Labrador Retriever, the Golden Retriever, the Viszla, the French Bulldog or the Rhodesian Ridgeback? Here they are in order of entires:

Golden Retriever: 52

French Bulldog: 48

Labrador Retriever: 46

Vizsla: 45

Rhodesian Ridgeback: 43

Who knew there would be more Frenchies than Labs?!

There are two new breeds that have been added to the AKC roster this year. The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje is a sporting breed from the Netherlands and is a great duck hunter. The breed also goes by the the nickname Kooiker. They KIND of remind me of Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. If you squint and ignore the colors. Maybe it’s because they lure ducks like Nova Scotia tollers. They are supposed to be smart, lively and attentive to their owners. As any breed, they do need socialization when young. The Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen is the other new breed – a hairy hound from France. The GBGV was bred as a scent hound who can track both large and small game from wolves to rabbits. They are said to be comical, but sometimes stubborn – and not always the best breed for a first time dog owner. Sounds like a PON. Or a Picard!

I tried to find the Vegas odds for which dogs are the top contenders this year. I couldn’t find specific stats but I do know that the top winning dog in the US for 2017 was a Giant Schnauzer by the name of Ty. Watch for him! I also listened to a podcast by two women who are ACTIVELY involved in showing (they are professional handlers), and they mentioned the following breeds to watch for the in group judging (in no particular order…Giant Schnauzer, Boxer, black Lab, Pointer, American Cocker Spaniel, Bichon, French Bulldog, Dalmation, Pug, Whippet, American Staffordshire Terrier, Norfolk Terrier, Borzoi, Pug, Havanese, Affenpinscher, Brussels Griffon, PBGV, GBGV, Wire Fox Terrier, German Shepherd, Old English Sheepdog, Border Collie and get this – PICARD! Now that might seems like a LOT of dogs, but keep in mind there are over 200 breeds competing. Let’s watch to see if their predictions are close!

Today the following groups will be judged: Toy, Hounds, Non-sporting and OUR favourite group – Herding. We’ll be watching for our PON and Picard buddies. Tomorrow, the groups include Sporting, Working and Terriers. And tomorrow night is the big Best in Show gala.

We know a number of local dogs competing including a Standard Poodle, and a Beagle. We’ll be watching for them as well.

Let the games begin. Wait – the “dog games.” The other games have already started…

Have a good one! Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 31

Winter Olympics

February 11, 2018Leave a Comment

The 2018 Olympic Games have officially opened in PyeongChang, South Korea. Hopefully it will be a peaceful event bringing together countries from around the globe in the spirit of sport and honest competition. One awkward and not-so-nice reality of the host country, though, is the fact they they still farm and sell…ugh…dog meat. Yes. You read that correctly. Now I could go into a long speech about this fact, but I have a sneaking suspicion that if you are reading this blog, you would most likely oppose this horrible practice. And I don’t want to minimize it – but honestly, we have so many bad things going on in the world, that today I would rather focus on the Olympics – and leave the discussion of canine cuisine for another day. One GOOD thing I will say – it appears in South Korea that the practice is declining and pet ownership is increasing. But they still have a way to go…

I decided to see if dogs have EVER been a part of the Olympic Games in the past, and found that some interesting facts. In 1932, dog sledding was a demonstration sport in Lake Placid, New York. But that’s as far as it went. It never became an official sport. In 1928, skijoring, appeared as a demonstration sport as well. Skijoring is a sport in which humans are on skis and are pulled by a dog – or in the case of the Games in 1928, by a horse. It also never became official. Lots of people do it with their dogs today. For my human, it would spell certain death. Just walking us on icy sidewalks is adventurous enough.

In 2016, in Rio, host of the summer Olympic Games, they hosted a Dog Olympic Games. Events included things like agility, hurdles, racing and dock diving. Those kind of sports for dogs make logical sense. But I think there are PLENTY of other sports in which we dogs could compete. Here are a few:

Treat jar races. Dogs are required to stay in different locations in a house, and when they hear the treat jar open, must race to it. The first dog there wins.
Tug of war. Can be performed with two dogs (matched for weight) or a dog and human. To keep it fair, given that lots of dogs are outweighed by humans, the humans should be wearing roller skates.
Treat catching. Could be done from longer and longer distances. Clearly not a sport for the FG…
Food dish bowl hockey. Pushing a bowl across a kitchen floor and into a laundry hamper and being sure to make as much noise as possible. Einstein could do this. The event would be timed.
Treat hunt.. Treats are hidden around a house. Dogs are timed in their ability to find all the treats. Gold medal for me – for sure!
Dog kiss marathon. See which dog can give the most dog kisses. Event is obviously timed. But one may want to check what the dog was licking BEFORE the event takes place. Fair warning.
Snow digging. A timed event to see who can dog the deepest hole in a pile of snow. For us PONs, it would be helpful to have a treat at the bottom of the snow pile. For the FG, no treat is even needed.

Now those are just a few of the events that could take place in the winter. I have LOTS more ideas for summer games…who do I contact about having events added?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 30

Good news. Bad news.

February 10, 2018Leave a Comment

As some of you might have noticed yesterday, I had a question mark next to my count for seizure free days. And it’s a good news, bad news kind of story.

At around 3AM Friday morning, my human woke up and I was on the bed with her. I chattered my teeth a few times, and when I went to stand up, I was VERY wobbly. Now you need to understand that with the medications I am on, one of the side effects IS wobbly behavior – and a weak rear end. Not weak enough to keep me from counter surfing, mind you, but I still have an interesting gait pattern at times. But that night I appeared extra wobbly. I did NOT have a grand mal seizure, which was good, but my behavior was odd. My human wondered if I was having a partial seizure. And if that wasn’t stressful enough, I went and jumped off the bed in my wobbly state, before she could grab me. I sat down hard on the floor and looked at my human. I shook myself off and went to lie down – and I went back to sleep. But the BAD part was the next morning.

My human got up – and yours truly could NOT use one of his back legs. I mean I was a three legged dog. I held my leg up and would NOT bear weight on it. My human just about died. We went outside and let’s just say that peeing and especially pooping were interesting on three legs. My human carried me back into the house.

Of course the first thing she did was contact one of her most intimate, and knowledgeable friends. Google. The first thing she searched for was ACL tear. The symptoms include an inability to bear weight on a rear leg. And a tear can happen by doing something like landing poorly after a jump. Great. And of course, she read about all the options for surgery. This is before 5:30 AM, I might add. And she was doubly panicking because she had to go to work.

All day long, she kept watching me with Big Brother. Actually, it was pretty boring, because I slept most of the day. Around mid-day she saw me walking around and I appeared to be weight bearing again.

By the time my human got home from work, you would NEVER have thought I had a problem that morning. I went outside, on a leash of course, and I trotted along with no hint of a limp. None. Zero.

So. Did I have a seizure? Hard to say. If it was one, it definitely wasn’t a bad one. Could it have been a medication side effect? Possibly.

Now a GOOD bit of news. Because I haven’t had a BIG seizure in so many days, we are reducing one of my medications. This is actually VERY good news – because that particular drug is hard on my liver.

My human is becoming more and more informed about canine epilepsy. The problem with the condition is that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to treatment. What works for one dog may not work at ALL for another dog. And finding the right combination of medications is very much trial and error.

So given that I didn’t have a BAD seizure, we’ll continue the count – and hope that yesterday’s weird behavior was just a glitch. Mind you….MAYBE I was acting weird because I got into the garbage can in the laundry room…and ate a fistful of dryer lint. Yup – I did it. Although most of it DID reappear when I was doing my three legged poop routine…And not to worry – we don’t use dryer sheets so there were no toxic chemicals. I just ate fuzz. Plain old fuzzy fuzz. Yum.

Never, ever a dull moment in THIS house….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure-free days: 29

Morgan. My idol.

February 9, 2018Leave a Comment

Well I was looking through the world of dog news and came across an interesting story. Have you heard about Morgan? No? She is a 6 year-old Newfoundland dog from British Columbia, Canada. Morgan is what is called a Grand Champion – meaning she has won LOTS of dog beauty pageants. So that means she is pretty. And, she is smart – she has also competed in obedience and draft dog competitions. Draft dog meaning she can pull a cart. Not drink beer. ALTHOUGH, Morgan does have an affiliation with beer too. You see, Morgan has also been trained to do a HUGE number of tricks. Including, fetching a can of beer from the fridge, fetching bags of snack foods, roasting hot dogs over a fire (yes – you read that correctly), vacuuming, shoveling snow and pushing a snowblower. Here she is working with the snowblower:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fg3WLKL4zw

And here she is doing some of her other tricks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-g2JGMGCfE

In addition to all the of above amazing attributes, Morgan is ALSO a trained therapy dog who visits seniors in retirement homes. She is also trained in water rescue. Of course she is. Seriously, is there anything this dog doesn’t do?

I think for me, the most amazing thing that she does is open that fridge door. And ONLY removes what she is supposed to. THAT is amazing. Wish I could open the fridge door. And trust me, I wouldn’t be looking for a can of beer. I think I want to invite her to come and visit…. Right after my human has gone grocery shopping…

It’s Friday.

Let the weekend begin!!!!!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up!

Seizure -free days: 28?